The present invention relates to semiconductor devices, in particular, a semiconductor device having a function of detecting a malfunction risk caused by, e.g., a signal delay due to temperature rise.
Occasionally, any malfunction may occur in a circuit within a semiconductor device, causing a low resistive short circuit between power supply and ground. In consequence, temperature rises, causing delay in signal transfer in internal circuits.
In order to detect such a signal delay, a signal delay detecting circuit described in, e.g., Patent Document 1 (Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application No. 2008-256491) includes one or more delay detecting units, each having at least one signal propagation delay circuit (1) and an exclusive OR circuit (C) that receives a signal (B) output from the signal propagation delay circuit (1) and a signal C passed through a signal transfer path branching off from an input section of the signal propagation delay circuit (1) and outputs a signal. Using a digital signal that is output from the exclusive OR circuit (C), a determination is made as to whether or not the signal propagation delay circuit (1) behaves abnormally.